Nursery sees its Ofsted rating rise again

Karen Dunn

A nursery has taken just five months to transform its Ofsted rating from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’.

Greenway Nursery, in Waterworks Road, had its once ‘outstanding’ rating slashed in June after “a serious incident involving a child”. Now inspectors have praised the “significant improvements” made by the management team, and said the children had a “strong sense of security and belonging” when at the nursery.

Greenway is run by the Fellowship of St Nicholas charity, and staff and trustees said they were “pleased” with the latest rating.

In her report, inspector Alison Weaver said the children at Greenway made good progress in the skills they needed for the move up to primary school.

She praised the youngsters as “confident speakers who readily share their thoughts and ideas”, and who were “willing and eager” to learn new skills.

Following the previous inspection, Ofsted criticised safety procedures at the nursery and said staff “prioritise cleaning routines, rather than supervising children”.

The findings were very different this time, with Ms Weaver’s report stating: “Staff have an up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding procedures.” She added: “Staff deploy themselves effectively to supervise children and help keep them safe.”

When it came to their education, Greenway youngsters were found to be increasing their skills in letter and number recognition, with all children – including those with special needs – seen to be well supported and actively involved in play with a purpose.

When it came to further improvements, Ms Weaver said the team needed to look at how small-group activities were organised to ensure all opportunities to build children’s learning were taken.

Greenway has places for children aged 0-5. For more details, contact nursery manager Emma Clark on 01424 438660 or email greenways@fsncharity.co.uk .

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